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Host Turkey makes it two for two to secure the top spot in Group A, while one of the favorites to win the title, France, had an impressive debut on Tuesday night.
Turkey leaned on their seasoned veterans to score a 65-49 win over Japan in day two of the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women in Turkey.
Nevriye Yilmaz had an all-around performance as the veteran center finished with 16 points to go with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, making up for her so-so performance in their win over Puerto Rico on day one when she only managed to score four points in 18 minutes.
Esmeral Tuncluer also got her game going after a disappointing debut as she finished with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field, while naturalized player Quanitra Hollingsworth had another solid performance, adding 10 points in just 14 minutes of playing time.
Turkey did not let the Japanese get into their rhythm as they started the game with a bang to build a 16-8 lead at the end of the opening period and never slowed down for the rest of the way to dispatch their pesky opponents.
Japan will be facing Puerto Rico next to determine who will take the second spot in their group and advance to the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, France showed just a glimpse of their strength in their debut to hammer out a convincing 56-47 win over Canada, showing why they are one of the favorites in the tournament.
Isabelle Yacoubou had a productive night as she finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Sandrine Gruda added 12 points and six boards for France, who were never threatened in the game after a strong performance in the opening period.
Despite losing in their second game, Canada will advance to the next round if France will win over Mali – the team that the Canadians dismantled, 89-23, on the opening day of the tournament.
2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women Day Two Results
- Mozambique 65 – 71 Korea
- New Zealand 51 – 54 Argentina
- Turkey 65 – 49 Japan
- Canada 47 – 56 France
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